The Power of the Sea Book I: The (New) Beginning
by BetaFib
Summary: He'd always had a feeling it would end like this, in fire and in death. It was fine, though. He was falling into the sea. He had always loved the sea, and dying in its embrace would be fitting. He closed his eyes and smiled softly as he hit the water. Reincarnation fic in which an assassin is reborn as Percy Jackson. Cross-posted on Ao3. Unbetaed.
1. Chapter 1

He'd always had a feeling it would end like this, in fire and in death. One in his profession could never be sure of one's life expectancy and when one's life would end. Perils of the job. Though, to be honest, he never expected this job to get so out of hand.

There was a lot more collateral damage than he was used to (not that he could bring himself to care (a young child, lying lifeless and pale; a rush of guilt he ruthlessly crushed; what's done is done), he never had a strong moral code; living on the streets did that to a person). Nevertheless, he had completed the job, having cornered his target on a rooftop next to the sea, when a shot came out of nowhere and hit him in the chest, causing him to fall off the roof. He knew immediately that he would not live. The bullet had hit too close to his heart.

It was fine, though. He never really had anything to live for, having been an orphan and no close ties with anyone, and he always made sure all his loose ends were tied should he die during a job.

Besides, he was falling into the sea. He had always loved the sea, and dying in its embrace would be fitting.

He closed his eyes and smiled softly as he hit the water.

* * *

It was quite a shock to suddenly go from a feeling of drowning to being dragged into a bright place. He had thought at first that someone had pulled him out of the water, and immediately started struggling, when the voices around him finally registered.

"He's an active one, alright!"

"But he isn't crying; is he mute? Is he sick?"

"Don't worry Ms. Jackson, I heard some whimpering (he _whimpered_?). However, we'll do some tests just to make sure. What would you like to name him?"

"Perseus. His name will be Perseus."

* * *

It took him an embarrassing amount of time before he realized what had happened.

He honestly was not expecting to wake up again, much less somehow be reincarnated.

He had always been an atheist (it was hard to find a deity to believe in when one was alone on the streets), but since he was reborn he might have to change his beliefs.

Sally Jackson was a sweet enough woman. She worked hard to provide for the two of them, and she always tried to make sure he was happy. He (he was Perseus now wasn't he) was sure that she worried her, given that he barely cried (he had no choice but to cry if he wet his diapers, how _mortifying_ ) and barely made any noise.

Perseus figured that she would be a nice enough mother. Then again, he had no idea what a mother was supposed to be like.

He had wondered for a time who and where the father was, as Sally was alone during the birth and the time after.

He had found out soon enough (though it didn't really answer the question of who or where as he didn't know the man's name nor where he was).

It was in the middle of the night when the air around him shifted. Given what he was in his previous life, he immediately woke up. He opened his eyes a sliver, noting a somewhat salty smell in the air, before they opened wide at the picture before him. A man dressed in khaki shorts and the biggest eyesore of an Hawaiian tourist shirt he had ever seen was standing next to his crib.

His eyes travelled up the man's body to see his face, noticing scarred hands and toned arms. When he finally reached the man's face, he froze.

The man's expression was full of kindness and wonder. He was smiling and his eyes...his eyes were a striking sea green, like the ocean Perseus (still) so loves. Distantly, he wondered why Sally hadn't woken up, or why he wasn't making a noise. There was just something about this man…

Perseus involuntarily let out a small noise as he was picked up and started struggling. The man made some shushing sounds before carefully and securely cradling him to his chest. He struggled a bit more (his body was so _weak_ , he used to be able to throw governments into chaos with the right throat slit) before grudgingly settling down. He didn't know why, but he trusted this strange man. Perseus stared up at him, trying to figure him out.

The man stared back, his expression somehow even softer than it was before. Perseus tensed as the man lifted an arm, but the man only stroked his face. The touch was soothing, and Perseus found himself drifting off. When the man spoke, his voice was so soft that Perseus almost missed it.

"I'm sorry, my son, for the life you will have to live, and I'm sorry I won't be able to be there for you."

Perseus let out a sleepy inquiring noise.

Of course, the man didn't elaborate. The man only kissed his brow before setting him back in his crib.

"Rest now, Perseus. No one will harm you while I'm here."

And despite not wanting to sleep, despite wanting to learn more about the strange man who called him _son_ , Perseus' eyes closed and he fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Time passed. Perseus grew up and encountered new things.

(A snake in his crib that he strangled. A burly man with one eye lurking around his school, strangely focused on him.)

It was an interesting experience, growing up with a parent. Sally (mother, now) was kind to him, even when it was clear he had dyslexia (which was another experience entirely). She always supported him and helped him read when he had trouble, and supported him even when he caused trouble.

(He remembers when he had accidentally knocked over a glass and it shattered on the floor. He had froze and stared at her, wondering if this was what would make her hate him, hit him, but she hadn't cared aside from whether or not he was okay and that he needed to be more careful.)

Intriguingly, she had an interest in Greek mythology, something she taught him as often as she was able (which wasn't that often, as she worked a lot and Perseus always felt bad for keeping her from her rest); he had to admit, it was pretty interesting (In his previous life, he never really cared about mythology, only about math, and science, and literature by authors such as Dickens.).

The strange man never appeared again (and he's not upset about that, he's _not_ ), but Perseus had more pressing matters to deal with than a strange man who may or may not have been his father.

Some things did not change from one life to the next. There would always be the trash of society, those even Perseus with all his moral failings felt did not deserve to live. For example, his step-father Gabriel Ugliano, or as Perseus privately called him, Smelly Gabe.

(He didn't care if he had the mind of an adult. He was physically a child and he could be childish if he wanted.)

Sally had married Gabe once Perseus turned four. Perseus was six now, and it was clear that Gabe in no way deserved her. He didn't understand why such a smart woman like Sally would marry trash like him.

Regardless, it would all end today.

Perseus didn't care if Gabe mistreated him. He was used to abuse. But Gabe mistreating his mother? He wouldn't allow that.

(He remembered the first time he saw Gabe hit his mother. He had never felt such a rage before, had never felt such a want to kill. It seemed as if the building had shuddered with the force of his anger.)

Besides, he'd had years of practice reading others. He knew how Sally felt about Gabe and that she did not find him appealing at all (though why she married him is is still a mystery). She would not be terribly saddened by Gabe's death.

Perseus carefully tied one end of a length of thread around a leg of the kitchen table, the other secured around a water pipe in an open floor cabinet. It wasn't the best set up (the table could always shift with the corpulent trash's weight causing the line to grow less taut and failing to cause the man to trip), but it would have to do. If all else fails, he could always trip or push the man himself.

After checking the tautness of the string, Perseus got ready for the next phase in his plan. He had chosen a day that his mother would be at work and that it wouldn't be on one of Gabe's poker nights, so he would have no witnesses. No one but him would know the truth of what happened today.

(He ignored the voice in his head saying that Sally probably wouldn't even notice, that he was her child, she wouldn't accuse him of anything.)

Besides, he didn't want to expose his mother to the aftermath. Death could be messy after all, and Perseus was planning to make this one messy.

Getting up, he walked across the living room to his room, making sure to take a path that would take him into Gabe's line of sight.

"Hey, brat! Get me a beer." Gabe commanded.

Perseus stopped, looked over with ice in his eyes, and said, "No. Get one yourself you corpulent pig of a man."

Gabe turned an interesting shade of red. "What was that you snot-nosed brat?"

"You heard me. Or are you too dumb to understand?"

Gabe let out an indecipherable sound of rage. He jumped up with more speed than Perseus expected, and rushed towards him. Perseus cursed his small, slow body as he turned and ran back towards the kitchen; he barely outran Gabe's outstretched hand that promised a world of pain.

"Come here, you brat! I'll teach you to insult me-!"

The plan worked perfectly.

As Perseus ran towards the only window in the kitchen, he jumped over the almost unnoticeable taut string connecting the pipe and the table. Gabe was not so lucky. Having not noticed the string, he tripped, the table only shifting a bit, crashing into the window edge and falling out of the open window.

There was a short scream followed by a sickening crack. Even if his neck wasn't broken by the fall, there was no way he would recover with the nails and pieces of glass on the ground.

Perseus hurried to cut the string and hide it before the authorities got to the apartment and then placed a crushed beer can around where Gabe tripped. The apartment was a mess, so it would be believable that Gabe tripped on the can. He then ran out the door to ask the neighbor to call the police, stating that he didn't know how to use a phone (A lie but it prolonged the time it would take to get Gabe help; furthermore, his mom didn't want him using the phone for some reason. Thankfully the neighbor bought it; Perseus was a great liar but he can admit he was honestly a terrible actor.).

When all was said and done, no one suspected it was murder, Gabe was revealed to be abusive so no one was too sad that he was dead, his mother was horrified to learn that Perseus was being abused (which he didn't really understand, he was used to it), and his mother got a nice sum of money. However, she also looked more worried than she did before, despite the fact that Gabe was gone and she could be happier.

No matter. He would do all that he could to make her happy and protect her with all that he had.

(He never expected the Minotaur.)


	3. Chapter 3

Percy discovers his powers on his seventh birthday.

Having finished a celebratory breakfast of blue pancakes, he was in the bathroom rinsing his mouth, getting ready to go out with his mother (Sally never remarried and the money they got from Gabe's death enabled her to not only go to college but get a new apartment.). Spitting in the sink, he reached towards his cup. However, he misjudged the distance and accidentally knocked to cup off the counter.

Acting on instinct, he reached towards the cup and the spilling water and…

The water stopped.

The cup fell to the side somewhere, but Percy's eyes were wide and focused on the floating water.

 _What the-_

"Percy!"

Percy startled (he's gotten soft) and the water fell with a splash, somehow avoiding his socks.

"Percy, is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, mother! I just spilled some water."

He heard Sally walking towards the bathroom. "Do you need any help to clean it up?"

"No, I'm fine."

"If you say so." Sally sounded unsure, but the footsteps had stopped advancing, which was good; he wanted to try something that was best tried without witnesses.

Focusing on the water on the floor, he narrowed his eyes and reached out his hand. The moment he completed the action, he felt something click into place.

Raising his hand, his eyes widened when the water rose with it. Keeping his concentration, he moved his hand to the side. The water obediently moved with it until it was over the sink. Letting out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, he relaxed and the water fell into the sink.

For a moment, Percy just stared at the draining water.

"Percy?"

Percy came back to himself and hurriedly picked up the cup, refilling it with water. Once he finished rinsing his mouth, he splashed some water on his face to wake himself up, and was surprised at the sudden surge of energy he felt.

Interesting.

* * *

A day after he discovered his power, the first monster appeared.

He was at Central Park, which was a bit of a trek from the apartment, but there were lakes there that he could use to practice with.

(He didn't want his mother walking in on him, as she was considered safe and as a result he would never keep track of her movements, and for all that Percy loved Sally, for all that she was possibly the sweetest and kindest person on earth, he didn't know how she would react to a child who possibly had magic powers; he'd seen children killed for less.)

Furthermore, it would be good practice for him to keep track of his surroundings while working on something else; he'd become much too soft since being reborn.

Some time after he reached the park, he saw it. It was a massive badger, about a size of a small car, and headed straight for him. Nobody else seemed to notice its massive size and only obligingly walked around it as it moved towards him.

However, Percy had years of experience reading others, and animals weren't all that different from humans when one thought about it. He didn't like the look in the badger's eyes, he didn't like its aggressive behavior, and he definitely didn't like how it was focused on him.

Luckily, his mother wasn't with him, as he had gone to the park by himself while she was at work (Not that he was sure she could see it, since it seemed as if no one else could see it. Not to mention, it seemed as if it didn't care about anyone else, only him.), so he could go where he pleased. Therefore he ran towards the closest body of water he could find; if all else failed, he could try to drown the beast.

(He didn't know how he knew where the lake was. He'd never been to Central Park, not in this life nor the last, but he just _knew_. It was like that _something_ he'd felt when he first consciously manipulated water awakened a connection to water in him he'd never felt before but felt completely natural.)

Fortunately, nobody was around the lake, so he was free to do as he wished. Climbing into a tree, he reached into his pocket and took out the four-inch pocket knife he filched from some thug on the street. It wasn't the best weapon, but hopefully it would be enough to kill the badger (He'll have to ask his mother to send him to self-defense classes and later maybe even parkour classes. He may have all his memories, but having a spotter was the best when learning new things.).

Staying as still as possible (which was harder now that he had ADHD, which was irritating), he waited for the badger to appear. When it appeared beneath the tree he was hiding in, he jumped out of the tree on to the badger's back, using the momentum from the fall to drive the knife into the badger's head. He thought it would be enough to kill the animal, but it merely shook its head, knocking him and the knife loose.

Falling to the ground with a grunt, he smoothly rolled to his feet, quickly bringing up the knife to defend himself before he stopped short, staring at the knife in shock.

There was no blood.

But Percy had no time to think about the oddity as the badger swiped at him with one massive paw that had sharp-looking claws, forcing him to roll to the side, barely dodging the strike. He had no intention of seeing just how sharp they were.

Cursing his small, weak body (he needed to get stronger), he ran towards the lake shore. Having no idea of the extent of his powers, Percy was going to try to do the same thing to the badger that he did to Gabe. Get the badger to run after him, then dodge to the side at the last minute, causing the badger to fall into the lake. From there, he could possibly manipulate the water to keep the badger underwater so it would drown.

Feeling the badger run after him, Percy made sure to slow down just enough so that he wouldn't get to the lake shore too quickly, and that the badger would continue to run after him. Once he reached the lake shore, he turned sharply off to the side, avoiding falling into the water. However, unlike with Gabe, the Badger did not fall; it managed to stop itself just in time, gouging deep scores into the earth.

Damn.

Breath coming in quick pants and eyes darting all around, Percy felt the beginnings of fear settle in his heart. Perhaps in his previously life he didn't care but now...he didn't want to die now, not so soon after learning the love of a parent. His eyes darted around again before they settled on the lake, and an idea took root in his mind.

Scanning his surroundings for any witnesses and finding none, this would be hard enough to explain should the authorities be called, nevermind the knife no seven-year-old should have in their possession, he threw out his hand towards the lake.

Feeling that connection again, he pulled the water up, the water rippling and shifting, and formed a crude hand. He moved his arm towards the badger, making a fist as he did. The water mirrored his movements, forming a fist around the badger's body, before he swept his arm back to the lake. The water fist dragged the badger into the lake, and Percy saw it immediately begin to struggle. Gritting his teeth, he didn't let up and kept his grip on the badger, keeping it underwater.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he stayed frozen there like a madman (boy in this case), arm stretched out and staring intently at the lake, breathing heavily, until the churning finally stopped. Relaxing his body and almost falling to his knees in relief, Percy forced himself to stay upright and carefully walk to the edge of the lake to make sure the badger was dead.

But when he looked in, the badger was gone. All that was left was this strange, yellow powder in the water that hadn't been there before.

Questions flew through Percy's mind.

 _Where did it go? Did it become that strange yellow powder? What on earth was that? Why had no one else noticed? Why did it attack him?_

 _'I'm sorry, my son, for the life you will have to live.'_

Was this what his (supposed) father meant? From this new experience, Percy figured that his father was some kind of sorcerer, and that the magical powers were hereditary, as well as the ability to see monsters that apparently wished to kill him.

Fun.

* * *

It was on one of their annual outings to Montauk the following year that Perseus discovered that water healed him.

(He had already discovered that he could only get wet when he wanted to, that he could breathe and see quite well underwater, and that he could solidify water without really solidifying it (i.e. turning it into ice). For example, he could make it so he could walk on water, make a shield of water that stopped or deflected projectiles, or even a spear of water that can pierce stone. That last discovery made it much easier to destroy monsters.)

He was walking along the surf staring at the waves (he swears there are faces in the water) when he cut one of his bare feet on a shell. Barely wincing, he carefully sat down to examine the wound. No sooner had he sat down than a wave washed over him, covering his feet.

Cursing in his head, Perseus quickly lifted his feet out of the water, when he noticed the wound was gone. Intrigued, Perseus took out his pocket knife and carefully made a small cut on his palm. Then, he put his hand in the next wave. Once the wave receded, he examined his hand again, finding that the cut was healed.

 _So the water not only invigorates me, it heals me too. Interesting._

* * *

The next day, Percy was awakened by a feeling of distress and fear in his chest that wasn't his. Getting out of bed, he carefully crept out of his room, careful to not make any noise lest he wake his mother.

(He knew how much Sally worked to provide for the both of them. She needed all the rest she could get. Furthermore, she still got that pinched look on her face, like she was worried, though it had appeared less over time. Montauk was one of the few places she truly relaxed; it held some of her fondest memories, after all.)

Creeping out the door of their rented cabin, he carefully closed the door before walking down the steps of the porch. Scanning the waves, he tried to figure out why he felt the way he did when he saw a small, silver lump in the distance, just beyond the surf. He approached the shape carefully and knelt by its side, uncaring of the stones and shells pressing into his skin.

It was an animal, a sea creature with the top of a horse and the bottom half of a fish.

 _A hippocampus_. His mother's voice supplied.

Another Greek mythological creature then. He's noticing a trend.

(Following the giant badger there were harpies, hellhounds, etc.; thankfully they only appeared when he was more or less alone. He's fairly sure mythological creatures of other cultures exist as well, though he doesn't know why they haven't shown up yet. Not that he particularly wants them to.)

This one didn't seem bent on killing him at least, though the fact that it was injured and tangled in netting may have been why. For his health and safety he probably should've just left it but...it looked young.

(A young girl who looked no more than eight, staring up at him with such love and trust. That same girl, dead in a pool of her own blood due to his negligence.)

( _'You'll learn that there's always going to be collateral damage. But as long as the job gets done, it doesn't matter.'_ )

If anyone asked, he'd deny it, but he'd always had a soft spot for the young, especially if they were orphans like he was. That's not to say if they had a family he wouldn't care for them. Yes, he'd be envious, but kids were kids. Regardless of whether or not they had a family, he didn't want anyone to go through what he did.

( _'Street rat!' 'Get out of here, you urchin!' 'You'll learn. I'll make you into the perfect assassin.'_ )

A whimper of pain drew him from his thoughts. Focusing on the injured hippocampus, he reached out his hand and softly stroked its neck to try and soothe it, taking stock of its injuries as he did so. There netting was tangled all around the hippocampus. Burns on its skin and patches of missing scales indicated how hard it had struggled to get free, only hurting itself in the end.

When it calmed down a bit, Percy took out his pocket knife and started to carefully cut through the netting. Once all the netting was cut, he pulled the ocean water towards him and the hippocampus. Willing the waves to rise, he let the water surround the creature and carry it back to open sea, keeping hold of the netting so that he could properly dispose of it.

Once he felt that the hippocampus was out far enough, he released his control over the water and stood to leave, sure that the hippocampus would be fine. Before he could got far though, he froze at the sound of a neighing horse and a splash. He could've sworn he heard... Turning around, he caught the moment when the hippocampus jumped out of the sea and neighed again.

 _"Thank you, my lord!"_

Percy blinked.

 _...What?_

Staring in shock, Percy could only raise a hand in farewell (seriously, my lord?) and turned to walk back towards the cabin, the sound of the hippocampus' joy lifting his heart despite the confusion he now felt.


	4. Chapter 4

After dwelling on the hippocampus' last words to him for some time, Percy decided to pretend the creature never said anything at all. He didn't think of himself as nobility nor royalty and he doubted anyone would want him as their lord once they found out about his past.

However, now that he found out he could understand sea animals, it made aquarium trips quite awkward, nevermind the fact that he can never look at seafood the same way again.

(He found this out the hard way on his fourth grade field trip to the local aquarium. He could hear the fish talk. In his head. And they all called him 'my lord.')

In anycase, time passed and he grew older (again), learned more (again), and was pretty much alone (again).

Percy knew that last thing worried his mother. She wanted him to have friends, though, to be honest, he doubted that he'd become friends with anyone his age (physical or mental). Too many things he can't say in polite company without someone carting him off to either the mental hospital or jail. Furthermore, he tended to scare kids and adults alike with his almost perpetually blank face.

(The only person who seemed immune was Sally, another reason why Percy loved her so much.)

However, he managed to convince his mother to let him attend self-defense classes, and if anything, the moves were much easier to learn than they were before; it also helped with his excess energy from ADHD. His mother might regret him take them, though.

He had gotten into a fight with another fourth-grader and soundly defeated him with his regained skill. (The kid insulted his mother; he wouldn't let that slide.) As a result, none of the other fourth-graders wanted to be friends with him. That was fine with him though, he had his mother; he didn't need anyone else.

In-between school and self-defense classes, he brushed up on the foreign languages he learned in his past life.

(In his past life his instructor had forced him to be fluent in four languages other than English and know the basics in at least 10 more, as assassination did involve travel at times. He didn't care for being fluent anymore, as he had no intention of travelling to foreign countries. Not to mention it was hard enough trying to read English with dyslexia; he didn't particularly want to try it with foreign languages. Knowing how to speak the basics, however, would be somewhat useful.)

(Greek was surprisingly easy to relearn.)

He also stockpiled weapons.

(He always had at least four pocket knives on hand at any given time: two in his pockets, one in his backpack, and one in his shoe. No guns, though. Guns weren't easy to explain away and they were harder to hide than knives. He preferred knives to guns anyways; he'd always had a fascination with blades.)

And while normal weapons didn't work on the Greek monsters, the Greek monsters weren't the only monsters out there. (He accepted the fact that he himself was a monster in his past life, but he would willingly become one again if it meant his mother would be safe. He'd already begun with Gabe's murder, after all.) Kidnappers, muggers, drug dealers; all these and more roamed New York's streets. So Percy would take all measures he could to make sure that his mother would be safe.

* * *

As Percy got older, his control over his powers got better and as his control got better, the number of monsters that popped up decreased, until the number went from at least four or five a week, to one or two a month.

Percy figured that when he first discovered his hydrokinesis, it was like a "Come kill me!" beacon to the monsters, but as his control over it improved, he could better control the beacon that broadcasted his location to all of the monsters. Percy also noticed it was only when he used his powers extensively that more monsters showed up compared to when he didn't use his powers at all.

(The decrease in monsters might also have something to do with how he began to better hide his presence. He was taught how to go unnoticed in his past life, which was useful as he always hated attention, in this life and the last, but he'd been a bit lenient in hiding his presence since being reborn.)

As a result, he made sure to control his powers the best he could, only using them when absolutely necessary and only practising when he was alone and away from home (and what a new concept, having a home) so there were no witnesses in case a monster appeared, even if no one really ever seemed to see.

* * *

Years passed.

School was an interesting experience, to say the least.

Percy moved schools a few times, sometimes due to their terrible special needs program (he couldn't help being ADHD and dyslexic), but mainly due to disciplinary problems.

He didn't start the fights most of the time, but if someone was attacking him, he was going to fight back and defend himself, not sit back passively and take it. He'd done enough of that in his past life. He wasn't going to lie though; some of the fights were his fault; his mother's distaste for bullies (which made her marrying Gabe such a mystery) transferred to him; his distaste however went beyond feelings and words. Faces may have been punched.

He had mostly competent teachers and his grades weren't terrible (he had already learned much of the material once before, it was just a matter of getting the letters and numbers to stay still and having enough time to finish due to his handicap), and he made sure that everyone knew to leave him alone.

Group projects were annoying, but he did do his work, unlike those who did nothing and then took credit for everyone else's work (he would kill the kids who did that, but even he has to admit that murder is a bit extreme in this scenario; he settled for playing pranks on them instead, such as sneaking bugs into their bags or stealing their homework that they had probably copied anyways).

Field trips were sources of amusement, though the company left much to be desired and often the trips to and from the location of interest was terrible.

So yes, school was interesting.

And then everything changed in 6th Grade.

* * *

It began like this:

Percy had just entered school for the third day of class, when he saw a kid getting bullied. The kid had crutches but no cast or anything, and Percy bet that he was being harrassed for being a cripple. Shifting his attention to the kids doing the bullying, Percy narrowed his eyes in recognition. He'd already encountered those kids before and made his stance on bullying clear.

"Hey!" Percy shouted.

The kids turned to him, a sneer on their faces, before they realized who had shouted and paled.

"W-we were just, you know, helping him! A-after all, it must be difficult with crutches and all." One kid stammered, quickly dusting off imaginary dirt off the victim's clothes and patting him down.

Percy lifted a brow.

"W-we'll just go now!" Percy watched the bullies flee with a dispassionate look on his face.

Cowards.

"Th-thanks for that, man." Percy looked towards the victim in mild surprise. Everyone was usually too scared to thank him afterwards. It was...nice. Kind of like how the old lady who lived next door would thank him when he helped her with her groceries.

"...No problem."

"So uh, Percy, right? Do you mind if I call you that?"

Percy blinked. "Sure."

"Thanks, man! My name's Grover, in case you don't remember. I'm in your Latin class."

Was he? Ah, he remembered now. The new kid. Underwood. Percy hadn't really cared much at the time aside from a cursory glance.

Percy held out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

Grover took it and grinned. "Nice to meet you too!"

Percy wondered if this meant they were friends now. His mother would be happy at least.

(As Percy learned more about Grover, he felt like Grover was hiding something, like he wasn't what he appeared to be.)

* * *

A month later, they got a new Latin teacher.

(Why, he couldn't fathom, as the old one seemed just fine if a bit old. Bureaucracy, he supposed.)

The new Latin teacher was constrained to a wheelchair and introduced himself as Mr. Brunner.

Percy couldn't but feel that Mr. Brunner was lying. He also couldn't help but feel that Grover and Mr. Brunner knew each other.

Something was going on.

When Percy asked what happened to their old Latin teacher, as it appeared no one else was going to (usually the kids were all on it, and he was honestly curious), Mr. Brunner seemed surprised before he recovered.

"Your previous teacher had a little...accident."

Percy blinked.

"Okay then."

Yeah, something was definitely going on.

His mother had even asked if anything weird had happened.

"Percy, nothing...weird, has happened recently, right?"

Percy thought about the group? flock? of harpies he recently reduced to dust.

"No, nothing weird has happened lately."

Sally looked relieved. "That's good."

"Is everything alright, mother?"

"Everything's fine, don't worry about it, Percy."

"...Okay then."

(He had the feeling his mother knew a lot more about the sorcery thing than he first suspected, but he feared the reaction he may receive if he were to ask and she didn't know.)

Aside from that odd introduction, classes with Mr. Brunner were actually interesting and surprisingly fun. He still didn't trust the man, but he at least was a competent teacher.

(After winter break, they got a new pre-algebra teacher, Mrs. Dodds, who hated Percy and whom Percy hated back. Who would marry such a witch, he wasn't sure, but he hoped he never found out. Not to mention, there was something weird about her, something he just didn't trust, even more so than Mr. Brunner.

Percy desperately wished he had tested out into Algebra 1 before the school year.)

* * *

Field trip bus rides are the worst.

He's stuck in a metal can with twenty-six immature just-getting-into-puberty (in this case) brats, never mind his ADHD.

For example, Nancy Bobofit, an ugly girl who really should be placed in Yancy, boarding school for troubled kids, kept throwing peanut-butter and ketchup sandwich pieces into Grover's hair.

First of all, disgusting; second of all, immature; and third of all, Grover wouldn't even let Percy do anything about it.

(To his surprise, Percy found that he actually tolerated Grover's presence, even though Grover smelled like a barnyard all the time, as Grover wasn't as immature (although he did cry easily and was kind of a coward; he hated conflict) as the other kids in their grade and he was pretty smart too. Furthermore, they both cared about the environment, although Percy cared more about the ocean's environment than the earth's.)

"You're already on probation, Perce. If you get in trouble again, you'll get kicked out! Besides, it's alright; I like peanut-butter and ketchup sandwiches." Was Grover's reasoning, nevermind the fact that that last statement was an obvious lie.

Percy didn't particularly care if he got kicked out, but since Grover really didn't want him to do anything (he really didn't understand why some people just didn't act in the face of bullying), he decided to put up with it.

(He could always just make Bobofit fall into a fountain, or something. All museums had fountains right?)

Another piece of sandwich landed in Grover's hair. Percy's hand twitched for his knife.

* * *

Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.

It was pretty interesting to say the least, though Percy couldn't truly appreciate it since everyone kept talking and making immature comments about the nude statues. He tried to ignore them and focus on Mr. Brunner, but when Bobofit snickered again, he turned and glared. Bobofit paled and backed up a few paces, while Grover shifted uncomfortably next to him.

(His glares scared everyone. Another reason why no one wanted to be friends with him.)

"Mr. Jackson?"

Percy schooled his expression and turned back to the display. "Yes, Mr. Brunner?"

"Can you explain this carving on the stele?" Mr. Brunner asked, pointing to it.

Percy examined the carving.

"That's Kronos, who was a titan, eating his children, the gods, right?"

"Yes, and he did this because…?" Mr. Brunner gestured for Percy to continue.

"Because Kronos was king of the world, but there was a prophecy that his children would overthrow him. So he ate them to ensure that they wouldn't be able to do so. But Rhea, his wife, hid Zeus when he was born and had Kronos eat a rock instead. When Zeus grew up, he returned and tricked Kronos into regurgitating the other children. This led to the Titanomachy, which the gods won. Kronos was overthrown and the prophecy was fulfilled."

Behind Percy, Bobofit muttered, "This is so dumb; when are we ever going to use this information in real life?"

"And Mr. Jackson," Mr. Brunner said, "why, to paraphrase Ms. Bobofit's excellent question, would this matter in real life?"

"Busted." Grover muttered.

"Shut up!" Bobofit hissed, her face bright red.

Ignoring them, Percy thought for a moment before answering. "As a reminder that you should properly care for your children. Especially when they're children. If you show that you loves them, your children will love you in return. If you don't care for them well, they might end up resenting you, leading to your demise."

(He remembered putting a bullet in the skulls of the man who had sired him and the woman who had conceived him. Two people who were filthy rich and could've easily taken care of him but hadn't because they didn't want to go through the trouble of dealing with a child. Who lied to the world and said their child had died at birth when in reality they had left it on the steps of a decrepit orphanage, where if they were lucky it might die within a few years. He'd survived and taken to the streets as soon as he was able. Revenge was sweet.)

(It was even better as after their deaths, their fortune mysteriously disappeared. Various orphanages had received generous donations from a mysterious benefactor a few days later.)

Mr. Brunner's brows rose. "Interesting answer, Mr. Jackson. Full credit."

Mr. Brunner then shared a few more graphic facts about the Titanomachy, before dismissing them all for lunch.

Grover and Percy had started walking towards the exit with everyone else, when Mr. Brunner called out, "Mr. Jackson."

Percy motioned for Grover to go on ahead and turned to face his Latin teacher.

"Sir?"

Mr. Brunner looked uncomfortable for a moment before he steeled himself. "Do you resent your father, Percy?"

Percy blinked. "Why should I, he's dead."

And it wasn't really even a lie to him. His supposed father had never appeared again and his mother never said he was dead but merely lost at sea. So in Percy's eyes, his father may as well be dead.

Mr. Brunner looked startled for a moment before recovering, his expression a mix of sheepish and sad. "I see. I apologize for taking up your time, Mr. Jackson. I must admit I was slightly concerned by your answer to my question."

Percy shrugged. "I understand. If I may go…?"

"Of course. Have a wonderful lunch, Mr. Jackson."

"You as well, sir."

* * *

The class had gathered on and around the steps leading to the museum. The weather had taken a turn for the worst, with large, dark clouds and ominous thunder. In fact, the weather had been weird since the beginning of the year, with massive snow storms, flooding, etc. all across the state of New York.

I hope the weather won't be too bad when we go to Montauk this year…

The rest of the class was doing their own thing (meaning they were being immature brats) while Percy and Grover were seated on the edge of a fountain, facing the museum. Mr. Brunner had parked his wheelchair at the bottom of the handicap ramp and was eating celery sticks while reading a book. Mrs. Dodds on the other hand stood at the bottom of the steps right in Percy's line of sight, giving everyone (though most often Percy) the stink eye.

They were minding their own business and eating lunch when Bobofit came over and dumped her half eaten lunch in Grover's lap.

Bobofit grinned at Percy, her posse standing behind her. "Oops."

Percy stared, forcing himself to relax and feeling rather than seeing Grover tense. Shame he couldn't push her into the fountain at the moment. There were too many witnesses.

When Percy didn't do or say anything in retaliation, Bobofit shifted uneasily a bit, her smile slipping, flicking her eyes between Percy and Grover.

This continued for a few moments, until Grover said, "You know, if you want Percy's attention that much, you could just talk to him."

Bobofit froze for moment while her face slowly got redder and redder as she registered what Grover had said. Percy only had a split second to think, So he has a spine after all, before Bobofit exploded.

Bobofit screamed in rage, lunging forward to push Grover into the fountain. In the same moment she lunged Percy stood up, uncaring of his fallen lunch box (he'd already finished his lunch anyways), and moved to the side, holding his water bottle in one hand and pulling Grover with him with the other. Since he could just blame it on the fact that she had tried to push Grover into the fountain and couldn't stop falling herself, Percy manipulated the water to form a small hand to grab the front of Bobofit's shirt and pull to ensure that she would fall into the fountain.

She fell in with a splash.

Sputtering, she sat up in the fountain and screamed, "Percy pushed me!" Her posse, of course, immediately supported her.

Mrs. Dodds materialized next to them.

As soon as she ascertained Bobofit was alright and made a bunch of promises to her, (such as making sure she would get a new shirt), she turned to Percy with a smug look in her eyes, as if he'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. Percy didn't really understand why since she had taken any chance she could get to give him detention.

"Now, honey," Mrs. Dodds said with that annoyingly sweet voice, "come with me."

Grover immediately jumped to defend him. "But Mrs. Dodds, Percy didn't push her! She fell in by herself!"

Percy was kind of touched; he knew Mrs. Dodds scared Grover half to death, so for him to stand up to her meant a lot.

Of course, Mrs. Dodds didn't believe him. Shame; he was hoping she would. He guessed she just hated him that much.

Mrs. Dodds ordered Percy to follow her while Grover was told to stay by the fountain, Bobofit smirking behind Mrs. Dodds back. Grover was pale and looked worriedly between Percy and Mr. Brunner, seemingly hoping Mr. Brunner would notice and interfere. Unfortunately, Mr. Brunner was completely engrossed in his book.

"Honey," Mrs. Dodds snapped, "now."

Percy followed.

* * *

The moment Percy began following Mrs. Dodds, he got a feeling that something wasn't right. The feeling only intensified when he realized they weren't going to the museum gift shop, like he assumed (making Percy buy Bobofit a new shirt was logical) but rather back to the Greek and Roman section of the museum.

When they finally stopped, only the two of them were in the exhibit and Mrs. Dodds stood facing a frieze of the gods with her back to Percy. She was making a sound in her throat like she was growling.

"You've been giving us problems, honey." She said.

Us?

"Did you really think you would get away with it?"

Percy raised a brow. "Get away with what? Supposedly pushing Bobofit into the fountain? She did that to herself." Which well, wasn't exactly true but it wasn't exactly a lie either. She probably would've fallen in herself even without Percy's interference.

"We're not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds continued, seemingly ignoring what Percy had said, "I don't know how you've hid your presence," Percy's eyes narrowed, "but it was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."

Percy was really confused now, though he didn't show it on his face. "I don't know what you want me to confess to, Mrs. Dodds."

"Lies!" She hissed. "You know exactly what you've done!" And with that statement, Mrs. Dodds transformed into a shriveled hag with glowing red eyes, bat wings, claws, and a mouth full of fangs; she looked like something from a horror movie.

She snarled, "Die, honey!" and flew right at Percy.

Percy's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing in concentration, his hands already moving to open the water bottle, figuring out that Mrs. Dodds was a monster (when were they able to disguise themselves?!) and knowing that his pocket knives wouldn't work on her. Jumping to the side at the last second, he got the water bottle open, throwing the arm holding the water bottle back like he was getting ready to bowl so that the water would spill out. When Mrs. Dodds turned and flew at him again, an ugly sneer on her face, he manipulated the water to coalesce into a spear and directed it into Mrs. Dodd's chest. She disintegrated into the now familiar yellow powder.

Percy stared at it dispassionately for a moment before snapping his eyes up to the entrance of the exhibit, sensing someone's gaze on him.

And his eyes met the startled gaze of Mr. Brunner.


End file.
